Lauraceae (or Laurels)

Family of Laurales

Food, Plant source foods, Plants (Plantae), Flowering plats (angiospermae), Mesangiosperms, Magnoliids, Laurales

Consumption area(s): Earth

Note: For better understanding, please read the article on flowering plants (angiospermae) first. If you come across unfamiliar words, you can click on any highlighted term to open the glossary with definitions of key botanical terms.

Introduction

The Lauraceae, commonly referred to as the laurel family, encompass the bay laurel along with its closest botanical relatives. This group includes approximately 2,850 recognized species, distributed among around 45 genera on a global scale. They belong to the dicotyledons and are found predominantly in warm temperate and tropical regions, with particularly high diversity in Southeast Asia and South America. A large proportion of these plants are aromatic evergreen trees or shrubs. In both tropical and temperate climates, the family contains a mix of deciduous and evergreen woody species.

Numerous representatives of the laurel family possess toxic properties, yet others are economically and nutritionally valuable. A notable example is the avocado, which is widely eaten around the world. Historically, Lauraceae species have been central to the spice trade, especially members of the genus Cinnamomum, known for producing fragrant essential oils extensively used in culinary practices, perfumery, and traditional medicine.

Description of Lauraceae

The Lauraceae occur across tropical and warm temperate regions worldwide, where they often form a substantial portion of forest biodiversity. From lowland rainforests to montane woodlands, they rank among the most species-rich plant groups in several ecosystems. Their prominence has led to the designation of so-called laurel forests, vegetation types dominated by trees with foliage resembling that of Lauraceae, even when these trees belong to unrelated families such as Magnoliaceae or Myrtaceae.

Their fruits are typically drupes, containing a single seed enclosed by a hardened but often thin endocarp, which can make them resemble berries. In certain taxa, such as Ocotea, the fruit is partly surrounded by a cupule derived from the calyx, creating an appearance reminiscent of an acorn. Some species of Lindera develop a hypocarpium at the fruit base. The flowers are generally protogynous, a reproductive strategy that limits inbreeding through complex pollination timing.

The fleshy fruits constitute a critical food resource for birds which frequently ingest the entire fruit and regurgitate seeds intacthereby releasing the seeds in favourable situations for germination. Additional dispersal agents include primates, arboreal rodents, porcupines, opossums, and even certain fish species, while in some cases seeds are transported by water.

Leaves in several species possess domatia, small structures in vein axils that shelter mites. Other genera, notably Pleurothyrium, maintain associations with ants, which defend the host plant and may nest within hollow stems or modified leaf structures, as also observed in some Ocotea.

Members of the family dominate many cloud forests and humid laurel forests across both hemispheres, yet they also extend into pantropical lowland forests and Afromontane regions, where certain species are endemic to specific African countries. Although primarily associated with moist climates, some species tolerate semiarid conditions, often relying on favorable soil hydrology such as groundwater availability or periodic flooding.

Classification of Lauraceae

This family is subdivided according to the genus to which its members belong. Among these we find:

• Cinnamomum (cinnamon)
• Laurus (laurel), of which the only edible species is bay laurel
• Litsea (may chang)
• Persea (avocado)
• Sassafras (sassafras)
• Umbellularia (California bay laurel)